Volume 27, Number 7
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Volume 27, Number 7
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This is an old issue of the Brushwood Gulch Gazette, which has been archived for reference purposes. Although some links have been updated, the text of this archived newsletter remains unchanged. Please keep in mind that these articles have NOT been updated to reflect changes that may have occurred since they were originally printed. Return to the index of archived issues. |
'94 is going out the door and '95 will be coming alive. We're wrapping up another year at the Way Out West tent, and we'll meet one more time before 1994 comes to an end. Tuesday evening, December 6, 1994, will be the finale. As always, we'll meet at the Mayflower Club, located at 11110 Victory Boulevard (west of Vineland Avenue) in North Hollywood. The doors will open at 6:30 PM, and the meeting will begin at 7:30 PM. The Famous Fabulous Fisher Franks will be closing out their 1994 models, and the Marvelous Mayflower Bar will slide liquid gifts down your vocal chimney. So come on over and spend the evening with us on December 6, 1994.
After making her Way Out West Tent debut at our October banquet, Joy Lane will be joining us at the next meeting. She appeared in the "Our Gang Follies of 1936" and as one of Mother Peep's children in Laurel and Hardy's Babes in Toyland. Joy has had a very interesting career in motion pictures, television, and recording. She will be sharing her experiences with us, and will also answer any questions you have. We are all looking forward to seeing Joy on this evening.
The meeting of September 13 began as always with the singing of the Sons of the Desert" song, followed by the toasts to Stan, Ollie, and the rest of the Sons' elite. Joining us for the evening were Eleanor Keaton, widow of Buster Keaton; Alice Jackson, long time friend of T. Marvin Hatley and founder of the T. Marvin Hatley Musician's Scholarship; and Jay Dare who worked on the boys' Fox features The Dancing Masters and The Bullfighters, as a costumer. Special thanks to Jayne Barnhart for working the registration desk for Lori McCaffery while Lori was on vacation.
The film program started off with L & H shorts, Their Purple Moment, followed by One Good Turn, and Towed in a Hole. After the break, the evening concluded with the boy's 1938 release, Swiss Miss.
On the evening of October 22, 1994, the Way Out West Tent held its annual banquet at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, in the Blossom Room. The theme for the evening was "This Is Your Life." Celebrity guests joining us for the evening were (alphabetically) Lassie Lou Ahern, Peggy Ahern, Billy Benedict, Frank "Junior" Coghlan, Jay Dare, Dorothy "Echo" Deborba, Edith Fellows, Eugene "Pineapple" Jackson, Mary Ann Jackson, Dick Jones, Eleanor Keaton, Joy Lane, Mabel Langdon, Jerry Maren, Chuck McCann, Lois Roberts, Betty Goulding Saunders, Harry Thomas and Harvey Wasden.
The evening began with a cocktail/social hour, giving everyone a chance to make new friends and renew old friendships. All were invited to take a spin at the "Laurel and Hardy Wheel of Fortune." We officially got under way with the singing (along with the boys on film) of the "Sons of the Desert" song. Next up were toasts (with a video salute) to Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Charlie Hall, Mae Busch, and Al Kilgore. Toasts were also made to the memory of T. Marvin Hatley, Hal Roach, Gary "Junior" Jasgar, Anita Garvin Stanley, and Iris Adrian.
After a delicious Teriyaki Top Sirloin dinner, the celebrity introductions began. Each guest was introduced with a video clip of a scene from a film the he or she was in. Afterwards each celebrity was presented with a certificate to commemorate the evening.
After a break, the Way Out West Tent awards were presented. Scott James and Mike Rogers were given the "Why Don't You do Something to Help Me?" award for their work as the film projectionists at all the Way Out West tent meetings. The "Furthest Traveled" award went to Hans and Marijke Ligtenberg of the Netherlands. The Way Out West "Inspiration" award went to Dorothy Bellina in honor of all the work and friendship she and her late husband, Doug, have given to the tent. This year's "Lifetime Achievement Award" went to Muriel Evans. The Way Out West Raffle and Super Raffle followed the awards.
The evening wrapped up with a special screening of "This Is Your Life," as Ralph Edwards paid tribute to Stan and Ollie. We wish to thank all of our out of town guests who joined us for the evening: Kathy, Art and Diane Luhman of San Francisco, Nate Brown and Charles Niss from the Bay area, Marshall Korby, Larissa Barnes, and Frank and Mary Ann Phelps of Detroit, Michigan, Joseph Lacek of Lodi, New Jersey, Eric Madden of New York City, Rob Lewis and family, Pete Elkins and family, Howard Parker, Mark Pink, Jason Solly, Ruth Telling, Julian Thomas, Andy and Ted Bath, Jean Braunhill, Kevin Doig, Richard Forsythe, Louise Harris and Ian Kerman, all from England, Mildred Reid of Northern Ireland, and Hans and Marijke Ligtenberg of the Netherlands. We all enjoyed having all of them with us and hope that they will come back and see us again.
The next morning, two buses took off on the Laurel and Hardy locations tour. The highlights included a stop at The Music Box stairs; the Perfect Day house; the Big Business houses; a special walking tour led by Bob Satterfield, that covered the "Main Street" area of Culver City, with locations of such films as Putting Pants on Philip, We Faw Down, Hats Off, and Leave 'Em Laughing, the Bacon Grabbers house; the Finishing Touch hospital; the homes of Stan and Ollie and their final resting places. All in all, it was a great weekend for all who were there.
We've come to the end of another year, and we want to take the opportunity to offer a big "Way Out West thank you" to all of the tent workers who really help keep the tent going. To Bob Satterfield, who religiously keeps track of all the celebrities so that we can enjoy their company; Lori "Mama Hen" McCaffery who has kept all of us together since the tent's beginning; Bill Patterson, our Founding Grand Sheik; Jimmy and Kris Wiley, for their work on the newsletter, dealers table, and being there for us, whenever we need them; Al and Sharon Fisher, the makers of the "Famous Fabulous Fisher Franks" at all of the meetings; Scott James and Mike Rogers, our loyal film projectionists; Jayne Barnhart, our tent historian and keeper of our great scrapbook; Neal Pinyan, our top notch raffle ticket salesman and all around good guy; Dorothy Barnhart, caretaker of the "Laurel and Hardy Wheel of Fortune"; Dorothy Bellina, Tom and Debbie Hopkins, who have been friends of the Way Out West for many years and have always been there to offer us a helping hand; Colin McCaffery, the official tent photographer and artist; Jimmy Wiley III, for all his great work manning the video equipment flawlessly during the video introductions of the celebrities, and Janet Duff, who typed up the banquet program and celebrity certificates, helps with the dealers table, and for being the very special lady who keeps her "Grand Sheik" husband a very happy man. We at Way Out West wish all of our workers, members, celebrities and their families and friends a very "Merry Christmas" and a safe, healthy and happy 1995.
It's that time again. Time to get a jump on 1995 and pay your dues. The yearly dues will remain the same as 1994, $28 per single membership, $44 per couple, $48 per family with all living at the same address, or $7.50 door charge per individual meeting.
Every December we ask and every December the members and friends of the Way Out West Tent have been very generous in donating canned goods to the Maud Booth Family Center. We are asking you once again to help us help those who are less fortunate than we are. Your efforts have always been, and will be again, very much appreciated by the recipients of your kindness.
Believe it or not, now is the time to start planning for the 1996 Sons of the Desert 10th International Convention. It will be a four day cruise leaving Miami, Florida, and traveling to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico. Information will be on hand at the December 6 meeting.
Originally, your first deposit of $150 per person was due by November 10, 1994, but due to the overwhelming interest in the cruise, Lee and Dee McBeath have gotten the Carnival Lines to extend the deadline to December 10, 1994 to pay your deposit. Word has it that several Sons members have taken this cruise to check things out, and they were truly thrilled with it.
Our Gang Follies of 1936
Released November 30, 1935. Spanky and the rest of the gang put on
quite a show featuring the singing of Alfalfa and Joy Wurgaft, the
Bryan Sisters, Buckwheat, Darla, Porky, Elmer the monkey, and the
"Flory-Dory" girls (which turns out to be Spanky and the rest of the
gang in the "Flory-Dory" costumes). T. Marvin Hatley's "Honolulu
Baby" is also featured in this short.
Babes in Toyland
Released November 30, 1934. Staring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Henry
Brandon, Felix Knight, and Charlotte Henry. Toymaker employees,
Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee do their best to keep Mother Peep from
being evicted by the evil Silas Barnaby. When that fails, Bo Peep
reluctantly agrees to marry Barnaby to save Mother Peep. Thanks to
Stan and Ollie's trickery, the marriage is botched and Mother Peep's
overdue mortgage is ripped up. Barnaby takes out his revenge by
rounding up the Bogeymen to finish off Toyland. The boys and the
Wooden Soldiers come to the rescue and save the day.
The Live Ghost
Released December 8, 1934. Staring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Walter
Long, Arthur Housman, Charlie Hall, and Mae Busch. After shanghaiing
some men for Walter Long, the boys wind up getting shanghaied as
well. Although others believe differently, Long insists his ship is
not inhabited by ghosts and threatens to physically alter anyone who
uses the word "ghost." The boys think they have accidentally killed
their drunken shipmate (Arthur Housman) and when they see him later,
having fallen into a tub of whitewash, they tell Long that they have
seen a ghost , only to suffer Long's physical penalty.
75 years ago:
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November 1 Jerry Tucker Our Gang 1 Felix Knight March of the Wooden Soldiers 2 Walter Wolf King Swiss Miss 2 Dennis King Fra Diavolo 4 Darla Hood Our Gang 6 June Marlowe Our Gang, Pardon Us 7 Joe Cobb Our Gang 9 Gertrude Astor Come Clean 14 John McCabe "Exhausted Ruler" 16 Lawrence Tibbett Rogue Song 19 Roy Seawright L & H Optical Effects specialist 19 Alan Young Stan's friend 21 Vivian Blaine Jitterbugs 21 Dorothy Granger Hog Wild, Laurel-Hardy Murder Case 23 Boris Karloff Pardon Us (French version) December 5 Gordon Douglas Zenobia (Director) 8 Norma Drew Churchill Chickens Come Home 11 Marie Windsor The Fighting Kentuckian 13 Dick VanDyke Stan's friend 14 James W. Horne Liberty, Way Out West (Director) 18 George Stevens L&H Cameraman 19 Al Kilgore S.O.D. Co-founder 20 "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison Our Gang 25 Eugene "Pineapple" Jackson Our Gang 25 Joe Rock Stan Laurel Comedies (Producer) 29 George Marshall Pack Up Your Troubles (Director, Actor) 30 Rosina Lawrence McCabe Way Out West
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